This invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing a series of electric terminals.
Electric terminals generally comprise a contact portion at one end and an attachment portion at an opposite end. The contact portion is adapted for a temporary connection to a mating contact portion of another electric terminal while the attachment portion is adapted for permanent attachment to another electric element such as an electric cable or the like.
Thus a series of electric terminals may have identical contact portions at one end while having different attachment portions at an opposite end that are adapted for permanent attachment to different electric elements such as several different electric cables of various sizes and/or types.
In the past each member in a series of electric terminals for electric cables was manufactured with an identical contact portion at one end and a unique attachment portion at the other end for permanent attachment to a particular size or small size range of electric cables. Each member in turn required a unique set of progressive forming dies. For instance a typical female electric connector for an electric cable requires a set of progressive forming dies comprising forty to fifty individual dies.
This known method is satisfactory for manufacturing electric terminals that perform well. However, the known method is expensive from a manufacturing standpoint because of the requirement for several sets of unique progressive forming dies and the need for a large inventory storing each of the several members of the series of electric terminals. The expense is particularly notable when one or more member of the series has a relatively low volume of use.